Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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557. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if all of the seven airplanes (details supplied) on contract to the US military that were present at Shannon Airport on 10 October 2018 were in full compliance with stipulations that neither aircraft nor the US troops aboard were involved in military operations, military exercises or intelligence gathering. [43163/18]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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559. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his attention has been drawn to the fact that on 10 October 2018 no less than seven aircraft (details supplied) on contract to the US military were refuelled at Shannon Airport; and the number of US troops each plane carried. [43161/18]

Clare Daly (Dublin Fingal, Independent)
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560. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if munitions of war permits were requested for the seven aircraft (details supplied) on contract to the US military that were present at Shannon Airport on 10 October 2018; and if so, the number of aircraft such permits were sought for. [43162/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 557, 559 and 560 together.

Shannon Airport has confirmed that five aircraft, registration numbers N207AX, N342AX, N351AX, N477AX and N819AX, landed in Shannon Airport on the 10th of October 2018.

These stops were classified as technical stops in accordance with the Second Freedom of the Air as allowed for by the 1944 International Air Services Transit Agreement. All of the aircraft listed above were granted exemptions to carry munitions of war by my Department in accordance with the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Orders, 1973 and 1989.

Shannon Airport has no records of aircraft with the registration numbers N225AX or N710CK being in Shannon Airport on the 10th of October 2018. My Department also has no records of applications for an exemption to carry munitions of war by these aircraft on the 10th of October 2018.

My Department is not in a position to supply the number of troops carried as passengers per flight.

Decisions whether to grant permission for the use of landing and refuelling facilities at Shannon Airport in respect of such aircraft take into account the views of other relevant government departments and are fully consistent with Ireland’s traditional policy of military neutrality, as applied by successive Irish Governments for over 50 years.